Today we’d like to introduce you to Brody Burke.
Hi Brody, We are so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am Brody Burke, a 24-year-old hip-hop artist from Duluth, Minnesota. I go by the moniker of Hollow Profit. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, we listened to mostly classic rock and country music. Hip-hop was not familiar to me. It was my sister who started listening to hip-hop (around the time I was in middle school). I remember when Eminem came on the radio (this was 2014), and Bezerk from the MMLP2 came on. My pops, knowing my sister enjoyed rap, turned it up. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. I found the song on YouTube and would work out to it. Then, through YouTube’s recommended videos – I found more Eminem – Dr. Dre – NWA – and it was all over once I found Kendrick Lamar. I fell head over heels for his music. I remember when TPAB came out, I memorized King Kunta and Alright (I even made my sister and cousin sit and listen to me perform it for them). I would perform a clean version of “I” (Kendrick Lamar) for my youth group multiple times; actually, as my youth pastor was cool like that. While all this was happening, I started writing my own verses. They could have been better done, but the passion was there. A decade later, I’ve written hundreds of songs, have been featured on radio, and amassed a small following with plans for quite a hefty release schedule this year.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The road could have been smoother. Learning to write well was a particularly arduous journey. I had no sense of rhythm when I first started, and it took many years of dedicated practice to master it. Back in high school, when not in school or sports, I was writing (for as long as my parents would allow). While friends and peers were off partying, I was writing, freestyling, and studying the lyrics of the fantastic MCs of the 90s (some nights up to 3 or 4 hours). There was plenty of jeering from a select few of my peers, the arrogant types who find no greater joy in life than in squashing the joy of others. I paid them very little attention; one must have thick skin when straying from the norm. The real pain came from those I looked up to (the adults in my life) who stated (either blatantly or subliminally) that I was wasting my time. Statements like those are cut very deeply, but when you have a vision to achieve great things, that vision is enough. You must forgo the encouragement of others and look to something deeper, something much more eternal, and find the strength to see that vision fulfilled. Now I am on the precipice of achieving that vision; many doors have opened for me. I don’t know the future, but I stand ready to forge ahead.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I am a hip-hop artist. As of this writing, I have 11 songs on the major streaming platforms. By the end of this year, that number will have tripled. In 2019, I took a 3-year hiatus from releasing music (via SoundCloud) to focus and hone my skills. I released a single in 2022, an EP along with a handful of other tracks in 2023, and now, in 2024, I will be releasing the culmination of 5 years of work. I have three albums slated for release. The lyricism, the passion, the beat choice, and the pure talent set these projects on that higher level of hip-hop artistry that has been lost to the mainstream in modern years. I am confident that these projects will be some of the best hip-hop to be released this year. By all accounts, this is my life’s work, and years of dedication and planning have led me to this point.
What makes you happy?
My family, my friends, and my church are what make me happy. I am very blessed to have them. My wife and I have built into our routine a dinner schedule in which we see the people we love regularly for meals. We go through a lot of food in our house as we are often hosting dinners. Life is about, at least in part, embracing those around you: struggling together, if you will. When in fellowship with those I love, funerals are not so dim, parties are all the brighter, and the burdens of life seem all the more light.
Contact Info:
- Website: hollowprofit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollowprofit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollowprofit/
- Twitter: twitter.com/hollowprofit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hollowprofit
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hollowprofit
- Other: https://hollowprofit.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Tayler Dixon & Theresa Burke
